- Date:
- February 8, 1984 - February 19, 1984
Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games
Where were the 1984 Winter Olympics held?
Which national teams made their Winter Olympics debuts in 1984?
Which athlete was the most successful at the Sarajevo 1984 Olympics?
Which country won the most medals at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympic Games?
Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, that took place February 8â19, 1984. The Sarajevo Games were the 14th occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games.
Host selection and participating countries
The awarding of the 14th Winter Olympics to Sarajevo (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina) caught many by surprise, including the host country, which went to work building new facilities and making improvements to others to accommodate the Games. The choice of Sarajevo proved appropriate, however, as the 1984 Games were highlighted by the appearance of smaller countries. To encourage participation the International Olympic Committee agreed to pay the expenses of one male and one female participant from each country. Egypt, the British Virgin Islands, Monaco, Puerto Rico, and Senegal made their Winter Olympics debuts as a Winter Games record number of national Olympic committees (49) competed at Sarajevo. The Olympics were a triumph for Yugoslavia.
Competition, results, and notable athletes
Much of the Gamesâ excitement occurred in the figure skating events. Gold-medal-winning ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (U.K.) redefined the sport with their mesmerizing interpretation of Maurice Ravelâs BolĂ©ro. The womenâs event featured the Olympic debut of Katarina Witt (East Germany), who narrowly defeated the defending world champion, Rosalynn Sumners (U.S.), for the gold medal. In the menâs competition Scott Hamilton (U.S.) edged out Brian Orser (Canada) to win the gold. The pairs title went to Soviets Oleg Vasilyev and Yelena Valova.
On the slopes, the U.S. ski team was especially successful. American Bill Johnson captured the first U.S. gold medal in the downhill event. In the menâs slalom twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre (U.S.) took the gold and silver, respectively. Debbie Armstrong (U.S.) won her first and only international race, capturing gold in the giant slalom. Conspicuously absent from the Alpine events were 1980 gold medalists Ingemar Stenmark (Sweden) and Hanni Wenzel (Liechtenstein), who were considered professionals and were thus banned from Olympic competition.
- U.S.S.R.: 25
- East Germany: 24
- Finland: 13
- Norway: 9
- United States: 8
- Sweden: 8
Note: Medal count per the IOC website.
The most successful athlete at Sarajevo was Nordic skier Marja-Liisa HÀmÀlÀinen (Finland), who captured three gold medals and one bronze. In the ski jump competition, Finn Matti NykÀnen won the large hill by the biggest margin in Olympic history. He also added a silver medal in the normal hill event.
The East German women dominated the speed skating competition, led by Karin Enke (two gold and two silver medals), Andrea Schöne (one gold and two silver), and Christa Luding-Rothenburger (one gold). In the menâs events GaĂ©tan Boucher (Canada) captured two gold medals and one bronze.
The Soviet Union regained the title in ice hockey to match Canadaâs record of six Olympic gold medals in the sport. The Soviets were led by the outstanding goaltending of Vladislav Tretiak, who allowed only four goals in six games. It was his third gold medal.
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